Abstract
The European Union (EU) has been a remarkable example of regional integration to achieve economic and security prosperity. In the last decade, this most uniformed organisation has faced several challenges, such as the migration crisis, Brexit, and the global pandemic. Now, Europe has itself been involved in a huge regional conflict after Russia attacked Ukraine in late February 2022. Prior to the Ukraine-Russia war, the EU had already lost its position in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. Since 9/11, the EU has been a top aid donor to Afghanistan with the purpose of achieving regional stability, and yet the nonstate security threat in South Asia is still a big issue. The concerns of regional conflicts, such as peace, promotion of human rights, and democracy in Europe and the world, have been a challenge to the EU's global aspiration. Having said that, this chapter aims to deal with the above concerns vis-à-vis issues of global challenges in the shadow of major conflicts, threats, and opportunities.
TopIntroduction
The EU has evolved from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and later as a form of ‘Western European organisation’ to a pan-continental one’ (Warleigh-lack, 2009, p. 9). Along with this, the EU also evolved with global agendas due to its economic and trade policy. It is frequently regarded as a champion in the world's policies, legitimacy, peace, and harmony. This journey has never been easy since 1952 to now, the EU has faced several challenges, e.g., Cold War rivalry, the Balkans war and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war. Apart from European territories, the EU’s engagement and stake also have challenges globally, especially post-9/11. The challenges called non-state security threat which is responsible for two kinds of concerns 1) territorial security (external and internal) and 2) especially migration from the Middle East towards Europe. The third kind of challenge is environmental security due to the frequent rise in climate, which causes a serious threat of global warming. Additionally, COVID-19 also contributed to the increase above challenges on several fronts. These are the contemporary challenges for the EU inside and outside European territories.
Warleigh-lack (2009
, p. 1) referred in his study to “Why ‘Europe’ Matters: The Rise of the European Union as a Problem-Solving Device” as a unique mixture of international organisation and transactional politics. But in recent times, the EU’s ability to solve problems and deal with challenges has decreased, and the above-discussed three types of challenges have emerged more comprehensively than ever. This study aims to conduct an assessment of these challenges to determine whether there is a decrease in the EU’s problem-solving devices. Because challenges have been underpinned by other complexity of widespread problems in recent times. The study also includes defining the EU’s global aspiration in these scenarios, and whether or not it is affected, which is the main hypothesis to be tested.
The EU adopted a Global Strategy in 2016 as “Shared Vision, Common Action: A Stronger Europe” which is considered a roadmap to the global aspiration to achieve interests in the shadow of its foreign and security policy (EEAS, 2016). Shcherbakov (2020, p. 100-101) analysed the global aspiration as “security, secure threats, and methods of providing internal and external conditions of security”. Shcherbakov mentioned that the EU’s global strategy also includes a ‘reduction of NATO’s role in Europe’. The EU document also contains so-called strategic autonomy, which implies an attempt towards more autonomy and decision-making while dealing with conflicts in the internal and external spheres of security. In recent times, the EU has been engaged in the obligations of NATO and Washington, especially in Afghanistan and Ukraine, which resulted in a great setback and loss of promotion of the global agenda especially democracy promotion and management of regional conflicts.
Key Terms in this Chapter
SAARC: This stands for South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, and its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is an intergovernmental organisation created to encourage South Asian regionalism for a cooperation and development [Source: https://www.sadf.eu/focus-76-saarcs-dysfunctionality-and-chinas-foot-at-south-asias-door/ ].
The Taliban: A militant fundamentalist Islamist organisation that often refers to the takeover of a territory, a province, or a whole nation when the phrase “ Taliban takeover ” is used. The most prominent Taliban takeovers in the past have taken place in Afghanistan in the 1990s and more recently in August 2021 [Source: https://www.sadf.eu/post-taliban-takeover-what-is-at-stake-for-india-in-afghanistan/ ].
Regional conflicts: are wars, disagreements, or tensions that take place inside a certain geographical area and frequently involve nearby nations or governments. These disputes may be the result of historical disagreements, territory claims, racial or religious tensions, resource competitiveness, or political rivalries, among other factors e.g., Ukraine War, Kashmir conflicts [Source: https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/10/09/regional-conflicts-pub-80113 ].
9/11: The terrorist attacks that took place on September 11, 2001, in the United States are referred to as “9/11.” This incident emerged as a great example of non-traditional security threats and also resulted in Islamophobia across the world [Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/02/two-decades-later-the-enduring-legacy-of-9-11/ ].
ECSC: This stands for the European Coal and Steel Community which former name of the European Union.
Ukraine War or Ukraine-Russia War: The latest started widely using by media and academia by 24 February 2022, a day when Russian attack on Ukraine was referred to as Ukraine War. First it broke out by following Russia's annexation of Crimea and the start of hostilities in Eastern Ukraine, the conflict in Ukraine broke out in 2014. The historical, cultural, and political links that Ukraine has with Russia as well as its aspirations for stronger ties with NATO and the European Union are the main causes of the war [Source: https://czasopisma.bg.ug.edu.pl/index.php/journal-transformation/article/view/7310 ].
BRI: This stands for “Belt and Road Initiative” which is an ambitious infrastructure and economic development project launched by the Chinese government in 2013. It is officially known as in Chinese “One Belt, One Road” initiative that connectivity covers between China and countries in Asia, Europe, Africa. It is regarded as New Silk Road or 21st Century Maritime Silk Road [Source: https://www.ebrd.com/what-we-do/belt-and-road/overview.html ].
FPI: Service for Foreign Policy Instruments which is a diplomatic service.